A rare Dingyao moulded 'Buddhist lion' dish


Song/Jin DynastyFinely potted rising from a recessed flat base to flaring sides, crisply moulded to the interior with a striding Buddhist lion in pursuit of a beribboned brocade ball amidst stylised scrolls, surrounded by a key-fret border, applied overall with an even creamy-white glaze with minor characteristic pooling to the exterior, the rim with a metal band. 13.5cm (5 3/8in) diam.
|宋/金 定窯印花獅子戲球洗Provenance:A distinguished English private collection來源：英國顯赫私人收藏The present Ding dish is noteworthy for the crisp moulded decoration, succesfully conveying the design of the playful Buddhist lion and beribonned brocade ball encircled by the key-fret border.A related Ding saucer-dish decorated with a lions chasing after a brocade ball encircled by a key-fret border and dragons, Northern Song/ Jin dynasty, but of larger size, is illustrated by Tsai Meifen in Decorated Porcelains of Dingzhou: White Ding Wares from the Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2014, no.II-118; and another of the same design from the Sir Percival David Foundation, in the British Museum, London, is illustrated by M.Medley in Illustrated Catalogue of Ting and Allied Wares, London, 1980, p.21, no.51.A very similar Ding moulded dish, dated Jin dynasty, was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5 April 2017, lot 3203.芒口，包銅釦，口外侈，斜直腹，外壁下腹稍折，洗底內收成圈足，其身內外滿釉，洗內底模印回紋一周，其內印獅子戲球，繡球銅錢形，綬帶飄逸，獅子身形矯健，有跳脫奔騰之氣勢。台北故宮藏一件北宋至金定窯印花獅戲盤可資參考，惟體量稍大，然盤心紋樣和本件頗似，見蔡玫芬編，《定州花瓷·院藏定窯系白瓷特展》，台北，2014年，編號II-118。大維德基金會藏一件定窯印花戲獅碟亦可參考之，見M.Medley，《Illustrated Catalogue of Ting and Allied Wares》，倫敦，1980年，頁21，編號51。另可參考一件金代定窯印花碟，紋樣類似，2017年4月5日售於香港蘇富比，拍品編號3203。